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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139249">A Future in the Falls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dipper Pines Has Panic Attacks, Ford Pines Needs a Hug, Gen, Headcanon, Post-Episode: s02e20 Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls, Post-Episode: s06e20 The Future, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Stan Pines, Scars, Stan O' War II, Steven Universe Has Corruption Scars, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Swearing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:55:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139249</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steven finds a little town called Gravity Falls, he doesn't expect much.</p>
<p>He certainly didn't expect he wouldn't be able to leave.</p>
<p>(Updates once every week)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Steven Universe &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>414</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Oh Shit, Here We Go Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Space baby does an oopsie</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steven Universe had been on the road for several months.</p>
<p>He'd been all over the country, exploring human places and doing human things. There was so much he wanted to do that it was often hard to move on.</p>
<p>The last city he'd visited had been so busy that he could hardly move around without bumping into someone. He found it very exciting to be around so many people, especially since Beach City was pretty small.</p>
<p>But Steven had been in many big cities and it was starting to get to him. He figured he'd take a break from the bright lights and visit the grand redwood forests of Oregon.</p>
<p>Nature always held a special place in Steven's heart, likely due to his chlorokinesis. Seeing all these massive trees only heighted his love for Earth's wilderness.</p>
<p>Steven had also made it a goal to use his abilities as few times as he could.</p>
<p>So far, he'd only used his powers four times - he doesn't count the accidental uses, of which there are many.</p>
<p>The first was when his phone broke. He'd dropped it down the Grand Canyon and it had smashed into a billion pieces.</p>
<p>The second time was when he floated down to get it.</p>
<p>The third time was when he accidentally drove into some poor old man's flowers. He felt so bad he couldn't help but bring them back, even if it went against his rule. (The man was actually very nice, Steven remembers.)</p>
<p>Now, Steven was driving through the woods of Oregon. He'd been behind the wheel for a few hours and the sun was starting to set.</p>
<p>He looked down at his phone and checked Boogle Maps. Apparently there was a small town just up ahead called Gravity Falls. Steven smiled at the name.</p>
<p>He marked it on his map and checked the distance. It didn't seem too far, maybe he'd-</p>
<p>
  <em>THUMP!</em>
</p>
<p>Startled, Steven dropped his phone and slammed on the brakes. The Dondai skid to a halt and the boy jumped out of the car immediately.</p>
<p>"Oh my stars, please be a rock or something." As he came around the front of the car, he saw that he had not hit a rock "or something".</p>
<p>Actually, he wasn't sure what he'd hit.</p>
<p>What looked to be tiny man in a pointy hat lay on its side, blood beginning to pool around it's stomach. Steven gasped at the sight.</p>
<p>"Oh no!" He exclaimed, getting down onto his knees. Steven turned the man over and he groaned. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I-I can help!"</p>
<p>The fourth time he used his powers were when he straight up licked a very small man he'd hit with his car.</p>
<p>The man shuddered and, suddenly very aware of what was happened, jumped back. "Woah, hey, that's disgust-!" He cut himself off as the pain in his chest disappeared faster than it arrived.</p>
<p>Steven opened his mouth to apologize again when the man's eyes widened in realization and he ran off with a shriek.</p>
<p>"W-wait, I-!" Steven let his sentence die after the man left his line of sight. He stood up after a while, shakily making his way to the car and wiping away semi-formed tears before they could bring the forest to life.</p>
<p>Steven took a deep breath and let his eyes flutter closed. He just hit someone with his car because he was looking at his phone.</p>
<p>That someone probably lived in Gravity Falls, which was where Steven was about to go.</p>
<p>He looked out his window at where the man had run into the woods. He wondered if he'd see the man there. Probably.</p>
<p>Steven came to a decision. He started up his car, carefully maneuvered the vehicle around, and began the drive back in the direction where he'd come from. Albeit much, much slower this time.</p>
<p>After a few minutes of driving as carefully as he had when he first started driving, his car came to an abrupt stop, even though the wheels were still turning.</p>
<p>Horrified, his immediate thought was that he'd hit something again. This was quickly proven wrong since there was nothing he could have hit. He'd not looked away from the road for a second.</p>
<p>Steven pressed the gas pedal a little harder, only for nothing more to happen. He let the car slow to a halt by itself and got out again.</p>
<p>There was nothing there.</p>
<p>He walked forwards to check the front just in case, only to bump into something and stumble backwards. Steven rubbed his nose.</p>
<p>A strange, almost indiscernible rainbow rippled across the air in front of him, spreading out from where he'd just been. His gaze followed the ripple upwards until it got too high for him to see.</p>
<p>"What in the . . ."</p>
<p>Steven put both of his hands up and slowly moved them forwards. They quickly met some kind of invisible wall. Another ripple spread out from where his hands met its textureless surface.</p>
<p>He pushed on it, gently at first, but he put more force into the action when he met unbelievable resistance. He pushed hard, hard enough to crush a car, and then he pushed harder. Nothing.</p>
<p>Steven pulled back his hands in surprise. The surpise quickly turned to fear. How far did this go up?</p>
<p>Willing to ignore the breaking of his no-powers rule, Steven jumped up with inhuman power, the tips of his fingers dragging along the wall as he went. As he rose above the trees, he quickly realised the wall curved inwards and froze in the air just before he could smash his head against it. He followed the ripples towards the center, spying a town tucked away in an abnormally circular valley.</p>
<p>Gravity Falls.</p>
<p>He was willing to bet the barrier made a bubble around the whole town.</p>
<p>As he floated down, he began to think. Were all these people stuck here? Was he stuck because he was a Gem? Maybe there was some weird Gem tech lying around that was keeping him and/or these people inside.</p>
<p>Would he ever see his family again?</p>
<p>Steven landed with practiced grace, his mind made up.</p>
<p>He had to get out.</p>
<p>He looked around nervously, as if worried someone would see, before grounding his feet and placing his hands back onto the barrier.</p>
<p>He took a deep breath and he pushed, harder than he'd ever pushed before. He pushed so hard his feet dug into the ground and sweat beaded his forehead. He hadn't tried this hard since Spinel's drill, and even then it wasn't nearly as strenuous.</p>
<p>The barrier bent under his strength. Steven felt it begin to give under his hands. He pushed so hard the rainbow ripples became less like ripples and more like waves, sharp and violent. They shone brighter with every second.</p>
<p>He heard an almost otherworldly crack before he gave in from the strain, letting his hands fall with a gasp. He fell backwards onto his behind, breathing heavily.</p>
<p>"W-wow . . ." Steven rubbed his shaking hands together.</p>
<p>Several thin, luminescent fissures erupted from where Steven's hands had just been. The crack sparked with light like an exposed electrical wire and Steven scooted backwards.</p>
<p>He got up unsteadily and made his way to the car to chug his half-empty water bottle.</p>
<p>His breath officially having been caught, Steven figured it would break after a few more tries. However, as he looked back at the barrier, the fissure seemed to be shrinking. It was repairing itself.</p>
<p>He couldn't do that again, not for a while, at least. Pushing like that drained him more than he'd ever been drained before. Steven felt like he could sleep for a thousand years and the crack was mocking him by simply undoing all his hard work.</p>
<p>He groaned and sat down in the driver's seat with a huff. He watched though the windshield as the closing of the groove slowed to a stop at the point where his hands met the barrier, leaving two shimmering, jagged handprints in the air. Steven could compare the sight to Peridot's old screens, only harder to see and without a projector. It looked like it was able to mend all the smaller breaks, but it didn't seem to be able to fix the immediate ones.</p>
<p>Steven fell back in his seat, looking up at the Dondai's ceiling. It was covered in custom glow in the dark stars and planets. If he checked, he would find Homeworld had fallen off again. He looked away, a grimace on his face.</p>
<p>Steven grabbed his phone off the seat next to him and called Connie.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i know in the show the barrier like moves like a plastic bag around Bill but i think that was more for effect? like to demonstrate that it was keeping him in for us, the viewers. i like my way better anyway hehe but i tried to keep it as canon as possible</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Um, This is Not Normal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Pines family looks for a rockstar.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dipper and Mabel Pines had gotten off the bus at Gravity Falls only an hour ago and things were already going great.</p><p>This was their second summer at the strange town. The twins had arrived to a party welcoming their return, much to Mabel's excitement.</p><p>Stan and Ford had paused their world-wide adventures to spend the summer with the twins and had, of course, been the first to greet the two the second they stepped off the bus. Ford's left lens was noticably more cracked than it had been the year before.</p><p>Soos had done a very good job at managing the shack, having gone as far as adding several new attractions and slightly lowering the price of merchandise, much to Stan's dismay.</p><p>Wendy's life had been basically the same, she even still had her job at the shack. The side of her head was shaved and the rest of her hair had been swept to the side. (The lingering remains of the crush Dipper had had screamed when they saw eachother again.)</p><p>The twins had stuck together for most of the party, but Mabel had bolted the second Candy and Grenda arrived.</p><p>Dipper was more than happy to hang out by the drink cooler with Wendy and her friends, especially now that he could call himself a teenager.</p><p>To put it simply, the party was going great. Dipper could've even sworn he'd seen a rainbow in the distance.</p><p>Wendy had been saying something about Thompson getting his own car when Ford tapped his shoulder. Dipper looked up from his red solo cup.</p><p>"Dipper, can I talk to you?" There was a quiet sense of urgency in his voice that made Dipper's good mood fall exponentially.</p><p>Shooting a glance at the teens, Dipper excused himself and made off with Ford around the corner. The sounds of the party at his back, Ford pulled something that looked like a television remote out of his pants pocket.</p><p>"This is a device I created recently to monitor the status of what I call the 'weirdness barrier' around Gravity Falls." Ford held it out for Dipper to examine. There were several small screens, but one caught Dipper's attention. It looked like an ecg monitor, but the lines were curved, short, and so close they were almost overlapping eachother.</p><p>"Ever since the," Ford hesitated, glancing back at the party, "incident, I've been worried that the barrier might be in danger. Of course, it would take very specific conditions to cause any sort of damage to it, but I'm afraid Bill's actions may have put a severe amount of stress on the seal."</p><p>Dipper held the cup tighter to keep his hand from shaking. "So, what does that mean? Did something happen?"</p><p>"I believe so. The barrier only holds in anomalies, leaving humans as the outlier. If a human with enough raw energy attempted to shatter it, they would likely be successful. Of course, no mere human could ever be powerful enough to do such a thing. However, if you take- what? What's wrong?"</p><p>Halfway through Ford's explaination, Dipper had dropped his cup, eyes wide. Ford followed his gaze.</p><p>The sky had started rippling, similarly to disturbed water. The ripples slowly turned jagged and violent, all spreading out from a single fixed point in the distance.</p><p>"Something's trying to break through!" Ford turned to Dipper and seized his shoulders, grabbing the boy's attention.</p><p>"Listen to me very carefully. I need you to stay here with your sister."</p><p>"What? But-"</p><p>"No, Dipper, I mean it. We could be dealing with a being more powerful than Bill. I am not putting you two in that kind of danger again." Ford stood and, with a determined look on his face, disappeared into the party.</p><p>Dipper immediately rushed after him, only to run face-first into his sister.</p><p>"Dipper! Oh man, did you see that cool rainbow effect? It was so pretty! I wonder how Soos managed to pull that off." Her grin fell a little at Dipper's expression.</p><p>"Mabel, something serious is happening - I think it might have something to do with B-bill!" Dipper forced his voice down at Bill's name.</p><p>Mabel gasped. "What? But I thought we killed him!"</p><p>"So did I, but Ford pulled me aside and told me something was up with the weird bubble thing, and then the sky went all ripply and then he told me to stay here and ran off-!" Dipper only paused for a breath, but Mabel took this chance to talk instead.</p><p>"Well, we gotta go after them! I'm not staying here- hold on, why'd he pull <em>you </em>aside and not me?"</p><p>Dipper scoffed. "What? Mabel, who cares? The world could be ending, for real this time!"</p><p>"What're you guys talking about?" Dipper jumped at Wendy's voice and he absolutely did not let out a shrill yelp.</p><p>"Nothing!" Dipper said at the same time Mabel said, "The world is ending again."</p><p>Dipper shot her a look. "<em>Mabel</em>!"</p><p>Wendy stepped back, eyes wide. "What do you <em>mean</em>, the world is ending!? Also, why would you try to keep that from me, dude?"</p><p>"B-because it's not ending!" Dipper waved his arms violently. "It just <em>might </em>be ending."</p><p>Dipper took a deep breath. "OK, you know how Bill couldn't leave because of the barrier, right?" Wendy nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going.</p><p>"Apparently, something is trying to break it right now! That weird rainbow was the barrier. Ford just ran off - we gotta follow him!"</p><p>Though she looked a bit overwhelmed at first, Wendy had cooled down quickly. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's find him."</p><p>The trio asked around for the twin's uncle and found that Stan had also disappeared. Eventually, Pacifica pointed them towards the woods, specifically in the direction Dipper recognized as where the ripples had been coming from.</p><p>"Let's take a golf cart. Maybe we can catch up with them." Mabel pulled out her grappling hook dramatically, now worn and chipped from overuse. "And as a backup, we could grapple there on the trees!"</p><p>Wendy shook her head. "Can't. They're all at the bottom of the lake." At Dipper's confused look, she shrugged. "I'll tell you later."</p><p>Dipper kicked the ground. "I guess we could just run after them."</p><p>"Wrong! Now is the perfect time for our backup." Mabel shot her grapple at the trees, laughing manically as she was pulled into the forest.</p><p>Dipper groaned and started after her, Wendy at his side.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ford and Stan had arrived at a road leading into Gravity Falls. They began to follow it out towards the barrier.</p><p>"We should be fairly close, now." Ford had his eyes on the device in his hands. He frowned and shook it. "Come on, come on! Whatever this is, it's interfering with my monitor!"</p><p>"Maybe the battery's just dead." Stan twirled the gun Ford had given him. It looked like it was made of the same stuff that made up the portal and the barrel glowed an electric blue.</p><p>Ford shot him a look. "That's not - I mean, maybe . . . No! Stop messing with me." Stan only laughed at his reaction.</p><p>"Stanley, please, this is very serious. We could have another Bill on our hands."</p><p>Stan cursed. "You think the sucker's back?"</p><p>Ford hesitated before shaking his head. "No, I don't see how that could even be possible. He's dead. You made sure of that." Ford looked up from the device.</p><p>The two walked in silence for a moment.</p><p>"Stanley . . . I never did thank you for bringing me back, did I?" Ford said.</p><p>Stan scoffed. "Sure you did. In that big triangle place, remember?"</p><p>Ford shook his head. "No, no, that- that wasn't <em>real</em>." He paused. "Thank you, Stan. Really. I got to meet Dipper and Mabel because of you."</p><p>Stan stopped twirling the weapon and the two fell into silence once again.</p><p>Finally, they came to a stop at a curious sight.</p><p>A set of tire tracks came to a screeching halt  in front of a very small puddle of blood, as if a car had hit a small animal, but there was no body, nor was there a blood trail. Had the driver taken the animal or had something already eaten it? The tire tracks made it out to look as if the car had backed up and gone the other way. Stan chuckled at this.</p><p>"Some old lady probably couldn't handle the thought of hittin' something."</p><p>Ford hummed noncommittally before frowning again.</p><p>"My monitor isn't working at all." He showed it to Stan. All the screens were static.</p><p>Stan shrugged. "Probably just means we're close." He grinned. "When we find this thing, I'ma blast it straight to hell!"</p><p>Ford nodded grimly. "Just be sure not to miss. I doubt you'll get a second chance."</p><p>The two followed the tracks to an older car, one they both recognized as a Dondai.</p><p>"Oh shit, I guess it really was an old lady." Stan opened his mouth to comment again when Ford suddenly pulled him deeper into the forest.</p><p>"What-" Ford shushed him and pointed out from being the tree they were hiding behind. A figure Stan hadn't noticed before was pacing around the car, talking to someone on the phone.</p><p>A kid who looked to be around Wendy's age had a smartphone up to his ear. He looked frustrated, so much so that his face was a weird shade of red, almost pink, even. Stan could just barely see inside the car from where he hid. It looked like the kid was sleeping in it, there were even little glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the inside.</p><p>Stan elbowed Ford. "Looks like we found a runaway. Kid prob'ly stole his parents' car."</p><p>Ford shushed him again. "<em>Listen</em>." He whispered, motioning to the kid.</p><p>". . . lot out of me and now I think I'm stuck here. I-I don't know if you or Lion would be able to leave or if this is just because I'm . . ." The kid had walked out of their range.</p><p>Ford cursed and shoved Stan closer to the front of the car. "Don't push me!" He whisper-shouted.</p><p>"Then don't stand in my-." Ford's eyes widened suddenly and he pointed at a glimmer of light being reflected off the car.</p><p>Upon closer inspection, the glimmer of light was actually a pair of hand prints that were almost impossible to see. They flickered in and out of Stan's eyesight and he squinted, trying to see them better.</p><p>"The hell is that?"</p><p>Ford shook his head, unsure. It could've have just been a trick of the light or a weird creature he'd never discovered before. Ford suspected it had something to do with the barrier, but he needed confirmation. He looked at the device again in the hopes it had turned back on so they could see how close they were to the seal.</p><p>The device's screens were still fuzzy with static, but it was quickly returning to normal. Ford figured it meant the creature they were after was getting away.</p><p>"Stan, I think we should wait for this child to leave. If we can examine the barrier, I believe we may find a way to track whatever was attacking it." Ford whispered.</p><p>Stan holstered his gun. "Why not ask him if he saw it? He had to have stopped for a reason, right?"</p><p>Ford thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose we'll have time. You'll interrogate him and I'll see what I can do about those prints."</p><p>"Uh, can I help you?"</p><p>The twins jumped in surprise before whipping around. The kid was standing just outside their bush, looking curiously at them both.</p><p>"Uh . . . we're just hitchhikers?" Stan started, awkwardly attempting to ignore the fact this kid had caught them spying on him.</p><p>Ford groaned. "No, we're not." He stepped out of the foliage and held out his hand. "Call me Ford. This is my brother, Stanley."</p><p>The kid took his hand with a smile. "I'm Steven. It's nice to meet you both." Ford wasn't sure if he didn't notice Ford's extra finger or if he was just being polite.</p><p>"We're just out here hunting a beast and were wondering if you'd seen anything . . ." Ford trailed off, uncertain of how to describe what they were looking for when they themselves didn't know. ". . . dangerous-looking around here." That would have to do.</p><p>Stan rolled his eyes. "Great description." He pointed at the light-hands. "You see what made those?"</p><p>Steven's eyes widened. "Oh! Uh, I-I . . ." Both twins noticed his hesitation. "What are you gonna do when you catch the . . . beast?"</p><p>"We're gonna shoot it." Stan said, bluntly.</p><p>"Stanley!" Ford shot him a look. "But, yes, we are going to have to take care of it. This is an incredibly dangerous beast we're talking about. If you know where it went, tell us!" He demanded.</p><p>Steven hid his hands behind his back. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anything at all! They were there wh-when I got here."</p><p>"Uh-huh. Then what are you doing here?" Stan asks, noticeably suspicious.</p><p>"I hit some- er, an animal with my car and kind of freaked out over it." Stan figured that was the truth, especially considering Steven's suddenly very guilty expression.</p><p>"Hm . . . Well, you should probably get going before it comes back." Ford said, already pulling some weird new device out of his pocket.</p><p>Steven stepped back. "Right . . . I'll, uh, see you later, then. Good luck."</p><p>Stan perked up suddenly. "Wait! Before you go, have you heard of a place called The Mystery Shack? It's the first right down towards Gravity Falls! Be sure to visit it, kid, and spend lots of money."</p><p>Ford huffed, watching as Steven drove away, back towards Gravity Falls. "I can't believe you still advocate that place. You don't even work there anymore, Stanley." </p><p>"Well, I can't believe you read dictionaries for fun, nerd."</p><p>"I don't- well, yes, but-!"</p><p>"<em>HA</em>!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ill explain why steven can effect the barrier in a later chapter bc spoilers. however, I will clarify now that I don't see steven alone as stronger than bill ;)</p><p>also, a friend of mine has long hair and she shaved the side like all zig-zaggy and it looks freaking amazing, so ofc i gave it to wendy.</p><p>i feel like stan is ooc ;-; i hope not lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Steven is Seriously Concerned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Steven decides he wouldn't like being queen any more than being king.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I dunno, Connie, it really took lot out of me and now I think I'm stuck here. I-I don't know if you or Lion would be able to leave or if this is just because I'm a Gem."</p>
<p>Steven paced around the Dondai, pink flushed across his face.</p>
<p>"Steven, remember to breathe, OK?" Steven took a breath, exhaling slowly. The pink receded a little.</p>
<p>"If you need me, just call and I'll be there, no problem." Connie reassured him. "Besides, I'm sure you'll be fine. There's probably just some old Gem tech on display in the middle of the town because they think it's lucky or something."</p>
<p>Steven forced out a chuckle. "Yeah, that's probably it. I-" He stopped himself, unsure of if he should tell her he hit someone or not. He rounded the car again.</p>
<p>Before he could make up his mind, he heard a voice coming from the forest, right next to his car.</p>
<p>"Actually, I'll have to call you back, Connie. Love you!" At her "love you too", Steven hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket.</p>
<p>". . . time. You'll interrogate him and I'll see what I can do about those prints."</p>
<p>"Can I help you?" </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>As Steven drove back towards Gravity Falls, he couldn't help but think about those two men.</p>
<p>Steven figured that that weird dome was known of by everyone in the town, since those two knew of it. Unless they were different.</p>
<p>But they'd claimed that he was- or, rather, they'd claimed the <em>beast </em>was dangerous and needed to be stopped. Why would they want to stay stuck here if they knew there was a way to get out?</p>
<p>Maybe they <em>can </em>leave and Steven is just stuck because he's a Gem. Maybe that barrier keeps Gems inside and the mon- creature they think they're hunting is actually a Gem. Maybe he should go back and help them.</p>
<p>But then, by that logic, they would have likely already been experienced in hunting corrupted Gems. Besides, Steven was supposed to call home whenever he came across one.</p>
<p>Of course, he couldn't do that now because then whoever came would get stuck because of the barrier. That is, if it even works like that.</p>
<p>Steven groaned. "This is too confusing."</p>
<p>After a while of driving unnecessarily slowly, he came across a fork in the road. A sign pinned to a tree said, "Mystery Shack! Open 11 AM to 7 PM" along with a bright red arrow pointing right.</p>
<p>Steven slowed to a stop at the side of the road so he could check his phone. It was 6:03 PM.</p>
<p>He leaned back in his seat. Maybe he should visit tomorrow. Now that the panic had almost completely worn off, Steven could once again feel his exhaustion creeping in.</p>
<p>Steven rubbed his eyes. He figured he should drive into the town and find a motel, but now that he was sitting he really didn't want to get back up.</p>
<p>Besides, he was already pulled over. If he fell asleep here he could check out the Shack in the morning before heading into town for a meal.</p>
<p>Though, he might get in the way. What if someone drove by, got distracted by his car, and didn't see the sign?</p>
<p>Steven sighed. He was fed up with thinking today.</p>
<p>He reached for another water bottle when he heard a tap on the driver's seat window.</p>
<p>Looking up, he saw a man's face peeking up at him through the window.</p>
<p>The man looked down. "You sure this is her?" He said, voice muffled from the glass.</p>
<p>Steven frowned. What? He rolled his window down and the man turned back to him. Steven noticed that the man was actually the same size as the guy he hit, and that this man was standing on another, equally tiny man.</p>
<p>They both wore pointy red hats, kind of like those things people put in front of their house. He was starting to suspect that these were Gems.</p>
<p>"Hey! You're the magical lady who hit Shmebulock with your car, right? He's our size, had white hair and a beard." Steven jolted, realization settling in.</p>
<p>The man opened his mouth to say something, but Steven beat him to it.</p>
<p>"Oh my gosh, I'm so so sorry, I-I didn't mean to, really! I healed him after- is he still hurt?!" Steven's eyes widened and he covered his mouth with a hand. "Are you here to take me to jail?"</p>
<p>The man shook his head. "No, no. Actually, it turns out he was cursed or something and you totally uncursed him!"</p>
<p>He slapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh, of course! I almost forgot to introduce myself." He held a hand out for Steven. "I'm Jeff and this here's Carson."</p>
<p>"I'm Steven, n-nice to meet you. And what do you mean, cursed?" He asked, now worried more for their sakes than his.</p>
<p>"Ah, don't worry about it. Point is, you've got magic powers and we're looking for a queen." Jeff tapped his fingers together nervously. "Sorry if this is a little sudden, but we're getting kind of desperate."</p>
<p>Steven blinked. "Queen? You mean you want my help looking for one, or . . ." He remembered Jeff calling him a lady. "Oh."</p>
<p>Steven shook his head. "Sorry, sorry, you've got it wrong. I'm a boy - er, man. I'm a man."</p>
<p>"What, really?" Jeff tapped Carson's head with his foot. "Wow, Carson, you sure told me. Huh." He looked back up at Steven.</p>
<p>"Well . . . darn. Are you a fairy? I'm pretty sure it still counts if you're a fairy."</p>
<p>Steven blinked again. "I- fairy?" He was pretty sure he'd read about those. Weren't they super small? "I don't think I'm a fairy."</p>
<p>Jeff snapped his fingers. "Shoot. Then what are you? I mean, obviously you're not a human, though you really do look like one."</p>
<p>Steven jumped back as if he'd been pushed. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?" He played dumb, though Carson rolled his eyes and Jeff scoffed.</p>
<p>"Look, we Gnomes may be small but we're not dumb . . . usually." Were Gnomes a type of Gem? Probably not - Steven had worked very hard to learn as much of Gem culture as he could and "Gnomes" were not something he recognized.</p>
<p>Steven shuffled in his seat. "I-I . . ." He really didn't want to say anything to this guy, but it looked like he had no way out.</p>
<p>Just when he was about to spill, he got his way out.</p>
<p>A hook came flying out of the woods and wacked Jeff in the face, knocking him too the ground.</p>
<p>Steven immediately poked his head out to make sure he was alright. Jeff rubbed his cheek and Carson ran off with a shriek. The Gnome looked bruised, but basically uninjured.</p>
<p>Steven looked back towards the forest, his eyes following the hook as it was pulled back in by a rope. Soon after the hook disappeared, a girl came running out holding a weird metal gun with a hook attatched to the end of it - he recognized it as a grappling hook thanks to <em>The</em> <em>Unfamiliar Familiar</em>.</p>
<p>He looked back to Jeff but found him gone. He hoped he was ok. Steven turned back to the girl.</p>
<p>She grinned at him. Steven noticed she had metal on her teeth. Were her teeth soft and needed to be reinforced? He shivered at the thought and hoped that wasn't the case.</p>
<p>"Hey there, handsome! I'm Mabel and no need to thank me," the girl - Mabel - ran up to his car window. She lifted the grappling hook victoriously. "I know, I'm great."</p>
<p>"Um, hi. Why did you do that?" He asked, eyeing the grappling hook.</p>
<p>She put a hand on her hip. "They're evil! Evil Gnomes, obviously. They were gonna use you to trick girls into wanting to marry them!"</p>
<p>Steven frowned. "That's . . . concerning." He glanced over to where Carson had disappeared and hoped what Mabel said wasn't true.</p>
<p>"Yeah, they suck. But enough about them . . . let's talk about me!" Mabel leaned on his car, twirling the grapple skillfully in one hand. "Or should I say, us? First question, are you single?"</p>
<p>Steven blushed at the thought of Connie. "No, why?"</p>
<p>Mabel immediately lost her pose. "Dangit!" She sighed. "Well, whatever. Have you seen two old guys around here? They look the same and are probably carrying crazy awesome space-weapons or something."</p>
<p>Steven wondered if she meant Ford and Stanley. "Do you mean Ford and Stanley?"</p>
<p>She nodded, looking delighted at his response.</p>
<p>He pointed down the road. "I just talked to them. They're a few minutes that way." He lowered his finger. "But you might wanna be careful. They said they're hunting a m- looking for something dangerous."</p>
<p>"Thanks!" Mabel turned back into the forest and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Dipper, Wendy, I know where they went!"</p>
<p>After a moment, two more people - Dipper and Wendy, he guessed - came out of the woods. Dipper looked much more worn out than Wendy and Steven felt a little bad for him.</p>
<p>"Mabel, please stop running ahead, I can barely keep up." Dipper said, wiping his forehead.</p>
<p>"He's just slow. Which way are they?" Wendy asked. Mabel pointed behind her.</p>
<p>"Race ya?" The red-head asked with a grin, which Mabel happily returned. "You're on!"</p>
<p>The two ran off, leaving Dipper behind. Steven grabbed an unopened water bottle and handed it to him.</p>
<p>The boy eyed him before taking a cautious sip from the bottle. The sip quickly turned into a chug.</p>
<p>"Thanks." Dipper handed him the empty bottle, which he stashed in the back. They shared an awkward silence while Dipper caught his breath before the boy finally broke it.</p>
<p>"Uh . . . bye." Steven waved at him and rolled up his window as Dipper left.</p>
<p>He leaned back in his seat, thinking. He felt a bit more awake after that and figured he'd better make his way into town. Hopefully there'd be a motel or something he can stay at for the night.</p>
<p>Steven started his car and tried to think about his plans, but his mind kept drifting to that barrier. He thought about those two men, Ford and Stanley, and the three he'd just met.</p>
<p>He couldn't help but hope they wouldn't get hurt on their hunt, but he seriously doubted they'd find what they were looking for. Or, what they thought they were looking for.</p>
<p>After all, he was driving away from them, and Steven did not plan on meeting them again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lmao idk what im doing but im glad you guys are enjoying this haha</p>
<p>oof i almost missed this weeks, like i super almost missed this weeks. my bad, sorry guys. ill be sure to make next weeks chapter abnormally long to make up for it</p>
<p>also, i think steven healing away shmebulocks curse might be stretching it a little, but on the other hand my boy brought lars back to life soo . . . yeah</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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